Early years Davis was raised in
Cullman, Alabama, in a musical family. His grandfather J.H. Bailey played banjo and fiddle. In the 1930s, his father Leddell Davis and uncles sang the "brother duets" music style (a forerunner of bluegrass music), and Davis's uncle
Cleo Davis was a member of the first incarnation of
Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys.
Warrior River Boys Garry Thurmond formed the original Warrior River Boys in 1960. When his health failed in 1984, he turned leadership of the band over to Davis. The band has included fiddler
Charlie Cline and former Blue Grass Boy Tom Ewing. The band recorded 150 songs with Wango Records, launched by radio personality Ray Davis. These "Basement Recordings" have appeared on various albums through the years, many on the
Time Life label. 2006 saw the release of
Troubled Times. Davis partnered with occasional Warrior River Boys sideman
Randall Franks, who is best known as “Officer Randy Goode” from the
In the Heat of the Night (TV series), to release an Appalachian brother duet CD “God’s Children” in 2000. Warrior River Boy Marty Hays played bass on the project. They were joined by guests
Sonny Shroyer from
The Dukes of Hazzard,
Ramblin' Tommy Scott, and Cotton and Jane Carrier. Davis and his band also appeared on Franks's country show
The Hollywood Hillbilly Jamboree in the 1990s. In 2009, Davis released
Two Dimes & A Nickel on Rebel. He returned to Rounder Records to create “Didn’t He Ramble: The Songs of Charlie Poole” released in 2018. During his four decade career, many talented musicians appeared with the Warrior River Boys but in this era, besides Davis on mandolin, the lineup of the Warrior River Boys included Phillip James (fiddle), Stan Wilemon (guitar), Marty Hays (bass), and Robert Montgomery (banjo).
Death On September 15, 2024, Davis died from injuries caused by an automobile accident in
Snead, Alabama. He was 63.
Awards Davis was inducted into the Alabama Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2010. In 2014, Davis was inducted into America's Old-Time Country Music Hall Of Fame. ==Discography==